Same-sex couples in Maryland will now be able to marry at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1.
During the election earlier this month, Maryland voters approved Question 6 that pledged to legalize the practice by a 52-48 percent margin. But due to existing marriage law, state lawyers previously stated the earliest gay couples could wed would be Jan. 4. There is a two-day waiting period in Maryland after a clerk issues a marriage license, and since Jan. 1 is a national holiday, licenses could not be issued until the following day.
The state attorney general’s office stepped in with news of change of timetable on Thursday, explaining in a 19-page opinion that clerks can start to process applications ahead of time as long as the licenses don’t take effect until New Year’s Day.
The opinion leaves it to each individual county to decide whether to issue the licenses early, but a spokesperson for Gov. Martin O’Malley encourages all offices to operate in line with the opinion:
“There are many people who have literally waited a lifetime to get married, and they should not have to wait any longer than necessary after Dec. 31 to do so.”
Do you think January 1 will be a historic day for Maryland? Let us know in the comments below.
